Man, woman hospitalized after Highway 17 crash

SCOTTS VALLEY -- A man and woman were injured after the car they were driving south on Highway 17 went off the road Wednesday afternoon, a Scotts Valley fire captain said .

About 3:30 p.m., a red Volkswagon Jetta was just south of Granite Creek Road when it went off the roadway and struck a tree with the front of the car before hitting a second tree on the driver's side, Capt. Mike Pasquini said. The woman, the passenger, was airlifted to a Bay Area trauma center while the man was taken by ambulance to a Bay Area trauma center, Pasquini said.

Pasquini said he did not know the extent of their injuries but said both were conscious and able to speak officials on the scene.

The right lane of southbound Highway 17 was closed until about 4:30 p.m. while firefighters and California Highway Patrol were on scene.